Canned Tuna Comes With a Mercury Ceiling
Great protein, but there's a weekly limit worth knowing.
Canned tuna is cheap, shelf-stable protein. It also carries mercury — and the type of tuna decides how much.
Big fish, more mercury
Mercury builds up as it moves up the food chain, so larger, longer-living fish carry more. Albacore ("white") tuna has notably more than smaller skipjack ("light") tuna — often around three times as much.
Why the ceiling matters
For most adults an occasional can is fine. The caution is for frequent eaters, and especially for pregnant people and young kids, where mercury affects the developing brain. It's a weekly-amount issue, not a single-can issue.
The move
Default to "chunk light" / skipjack over albacore for everyday eating, and vary your seafood rather than leaning on tuna daily. Salmon and sardines are lower-mercury swaps.
Ask kiiwii
- How much canned tuna is safe per week?
- Light vs white tuna for mercury?
- Which fish are lowest in mercury?
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